MPO, County & Tampa collaborate to redesign Columbus Drive corridor

The MPO, City of Tampa, and Hillsborough County came together to study the potential reconfiguration of the one-way pairs of Columbus Drive and 17th/18th/19th Avenues (between 14th and 40th Street) to two-way traffic, at the request of citizens and business owners in the area.

At a workshop held last September, the public said loud and clear that the two-way configuration should be studied to help reduce speeding, eliminate wrong-way driving, provide on-street parking, and give an economic boost to local businesses. A traffic analysis showed that there will be little or no difference in travel time on either road if changed to two-way. Cost estimates were prepared for resurfacing and striping the roads, putting up new traffic signals and signs, decorative lighting, and landscaping.

Last month, there was another great turn-out of residents and businesspeople at a second public meeting about the draft recommendations. Many in the neighborhood supported the study and are interested in seeing the recommendations move forward.

A first phase of work is slated for next year, when Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa will work together to add on-street parking while the roads are resurfaced. Though the roads will continue to be one-way, some lanes will shift, and as a result, painting a solid centerline should be relatively easy when additional funding is identified for new traffic signals.

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